“They did beat us by one last time, so we’re ready to get them back,” said Jared Strickland, who led the Tribe with 13 points against the Cyclones. “We want to make sure we get that first spot.”

FINDING BALANCE

The Indians had six players with at least seven points.

D-B coach Chris Poore checked a lot of boxes on the good side of things.

“I was pleased with our effort and energy,” Poore said. “Three games in three nights with a late Saturday night game with somewhat less of a crowd than we’ve been having. ... You never know what is going to happen.

“Elizabethton is not a bad team, and the score wasn’t representative of who they are. But I thought it had a lot to do with our guys. We pushed it, we were aggressive, we were physical, and we gave them nothing early. I was really pleased with the guys’ focus coming in to this game.”

LEADING THE BALANCE

Strickland, aka Wildcat, was at the head of a balanced group of scorers.

“It was very good teamwork,” he said. “We were very unselfish with the ball and played really well together.”